Tim Cook Featured in TIME's List of '100 Most Influential People'

time-cook-time-100-2015-iconsApple CEO Tim Cook has made TIME's annual list of "the 100 most influential people" alongside several other notable celebrities, business executives, scientists, authors, healthcare professionals, iconic leaders and more.

Cook's segment was written by John Lewis, a civil rights leader and Democratic Congressman from Georgia. The chief executive last made TIME's list in 2012, less than one year after the passing of Steve Jobs.

"It could not have been easy for Tim Cook to step into the immense shadow cast by the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. But with grace and courage and an unabashed willingness to be his own man, Tim has pushed Apple to unimaginable profitability—and greater social responsibility. He is setting a new standard for what business can do in the world. Tim is unwavering in his support of an individual’s right to privacy and is not only embracing equality and LGBT rights but advocating for change through his words and actions. His commitment to renewable energy is also leaving our planet a little cleaner and a little greener for generations yet unborn."

While not included in the list himself, Apple design chief Jonathan Ive also wrote a piece on Airbnb founder and fellow designer Brian Chesky, describing him as a "travel revolutionary" that has created a new way to build community through his startup. "Brian Chesky’s audacity is fabulous. He dares to believe that we shouldn’t be strangers, that we can have a sense of true belonging whenever, wherever we travel."

Notable inclusions in the tech industry include YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun. Other highly recognizable names making the list include Emma Watson, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis, Tim McGraw and Vladimir Putin. Cook was also nominated for TIME's "Person of the Year" award in 2014.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple. The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These U.S. States Next

Tuesday December 24, 2024 10:49 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...
AirTag and Lavender iPhone

AirTag 2 Launching Next Year With These New Features

Tuesday December 24, 2024 8:35 am PST by
Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 next year, and a few new features and changes have already been rumored for the item tracker. Below, we recap what to expect from the AirTag 2: The new AirTag is expected to be equipped with Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for longer range. The chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Accidentally Leaked the Next MacBook Air

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:33 am PST by
Apple earlier this month released macOS 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models coming next year. Apple accidentally released macOS 15.2 restore files for unreleased "‌MacBook Air‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "‌MacBook Air‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)" models. While it no surprise that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were going to be updated with the M4 ...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

22 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 23, 2024 6:30 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone Sizes Change Next Year: What to Know

Monday December 23, 2024 7:40 am PST by
This year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and next year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
iphone 16 pro design cameras

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored to Be More Like DSLR Camera With This Upgrade

Monday December 23, 2024 6:24 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly two years away from launching, a new feature has already been rumored for the devices. In a blog post today, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the main rear camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. The main camera refers to the 48-megapixel...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Macs With M5 Chips Expected to Launch in This Order

Monday December 23, 2024 8:27 am PST by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today outlined mass production timing for the M5 series of chips, which he expects to be used in both future Macs and Apple Intelligence servers. The rollout will likely begin next year. Kuo expects the standard M5 chip to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, followed by the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in the second half of the year. Then, he...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...

Top Rated Comments

Avatar74 Avatar
127 months ago
I think people are still underestimating the impact of his coming out while still an active CEO, and of the most admired company in the world.

I work for a rather large Silicon Valley company and our CEO has been very vocal about being an ally for the LGBT community.

People sometimes say "so what"? Well, it makes a huge difference in lives of people not in the majority when their corporate culture makes them feel welcome. It makes a difference to teens struggling with depression. It makes a difference to anyone who has felt the sting of what I like to call "otherism", the various manifestations of which I won't debate here.

We've seen celebrities, athletes and entertainers wait until past the prime of their career to come out when it would impact them the least... Tim Cook used the moment when the world's eyes were all focused on him running one of the most valuable companies to reach out and strengthen the bridge of understanding and acceptance in our society.

That alone makes him a great leader.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RogerWilco Avatar
127 months ago
Them that can, do (Jobs), them that can't make spectacles of themselves...

I'm sick of hearing about every CEO's pet project or their bedroom preferences. How about you get back to work Mr. Cook and start fixing the obvious decline in the utility of products that Apple offers? Ive is out of control, retail is in chaos, and the ongoing rot at the core of OS X has to stop.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
127 months ago
His commitment to renewable energy is also leaving our planet a little cleaner and a little greener for generations yet unborn.

Let's see Samsung (and other companies) copy that!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Daalseth Avatar
127 months ago
--

As a father of three sons, I find your comments deeply disturbing. This whole "coming out" culture is as well satanic.
Dude, if one of your son's is gay then he already is. It's coded into his brain at birth as much as my being left handed was. It's not something that someone else can cause by publicly coming out. However if one of them is gay, TC being public about it might just give him the extra support he needs to keep going through what is still a difficult acceptance process.

Which will be made harder by his father rejecting him as "satanic".
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
127 months ago
I'm sick of hearing about every CEO's pet project or their bedroom preferences. How about you get back to work Mr. Cook and start fixing the obvious decline in the utility of products that Apple offers? Ive is out of control, retail is in chaos, and the ongoing rot at the core of OS X has to stop.
Obviously you follow Tim Cook's bedroom preferences more closely than normal people do.

I don't have any idea what kind of pajamas he wears or what sort of sheets he has on his bed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
127 months ago
Sorry but how is Kim Kardashian influential? I can understand Emma Watson being in the list due to her recent "political" career but who does Kim Kardashian influence really?


Kim Kardashian has a tremendous influence on me. If she appears on TV, I am completely compelled to change the channel. Believe me, her power is unequaled.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)